Alcan

Alcan began in 1902 at Shawinigan as Alcoa’s Canadian subsidiary, became the Aluminum Company of Canada in 1925, and was separated from Alcoa in 1928. It smelted aluminum on Quebec hydro, later at Kitimat, B.C., and made fabricated products. Head office in the report years was Place Ville Marie, Montreal.

Cheap hydro made Quebec and Kitimat logical smelting sites. In the Second World War the Canadian plants held most of the Empire’s aluminum capacity.

Why it mattered

Cheap hydro made Quebec and later Kitimat logical smelting sites. In the Second World War the Canadian operations held most of the British Empire's aluminum capacity and expanded under Allied demand. Montreal was the headquarters of a globally integrated Canadian aluminum company.

Now

Rio Tinto bought Alcan in 2007. Rio Tinto still runs smelters in the Saguenay and at Kitimat. The Alcan product-group name was dropped in 2015.

Sold (2007) · Now: Rio Tinto (Rio Tinto Alcan; Alcan name dropped 2015)